Hannover 2010 – scientific programme

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P: Fachverband Plasmaphysik

P 4: Invited Talks Melzer, Trottenberg

P 4.1: Invited Talk

Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 11:40–12:10, B 305

Experiments and Simulations of Dusty Plasmas — •Andre Melzer — Institut für Physik, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald

Particle-containing (dusty) plasmas are ubiquitous in astrophysical situations and are of enormous relevance in various technological applications. For fundamental studies, dusty plasmas are ideal systems to study structural and dynamical properties on the kinetic level of individual particles since in experiments the size and time scales allow a detailed observation by video microscopy. On the other hand, the drastically different time scales of plasma and dust dynamics pose serious challenges for the simulations of dusty plasma systems.

Here, we present kinetic simulations of dusty plasma discharges that allow to reveal the fundamental properties of dust particle charging and the forces acting on the particles. Furthermore, experiments on finite 3D dust clouds, so called Yukawa balls, are presented. In these systems the particles are arranged in concentric spherical shells ("onion shells"). Recent progress in diagnostic techniques allows to determine the particle dynamics of such dust clusters.